Spider-Man Broadway musical to close in January, move to Vegas

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

Cast member Reeve Carney (L) is kissed by fellow cast member Jennifer Damiano (C) during the curtain call for the Broadway opening of "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" in New York June 14, 2011.Jessica Rinaldi

NEW YORK (Reuters) - "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" will end its Broadway run in January, a spokesman said on Monday, and the popular musical is set to move to Las Vegas.

The show, the most expensive staged on Broadway, had a rocky start in 2010 with cast injuries during high-wire stunts and opening night delays.

"We are excited to report that the next destination for SPIDER-MAN will be the entertainment capital of the world: Las Vegas," Rick Miramontez, a spokesman for the show, said in an email to Reuters.

The Broadway show will close in January, he said, and further details will be announced in the coming weeks.

The show was also embroiled in legal disputes after Tony-winning director Julie Taymor, of "The Lion King," was fired from the production in March 2011. Taymor reached an agreement with the show's producers this year.

The musical, based on one of Marvel Comic's most famous heroes, cost more than $70 million to bring to the stage and includes music by Bono and The Edge. It routinely brings in more than $1 million a week at the box office.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the show has been running below its breakeven point for weeks, even though it is among the top shows in attendance figures.

Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf in New York and Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Mohammad Zargham